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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread rebarbative #118178 12/24/2003 3:06 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 I was disappointed by the etymology of this word. I looked at several versions, and none of them seemed logical.I can't imagine any woman welcoming osculatory contact with something that looks like a muskrat's rear end. That would be truly rebarbative.Get thee to a barber,Go!.... Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Share Post on Reddit Re: rebarbative #118179 12/24/2003 4:49 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Jackie Carpal Tunnel Jackie Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky A couple of different takes; neither particularly making more sense. AHD: Tending to irritate; repellent: “He became rebarbative, prickly, spiteful” (Robert Craft). [French rébarbatif, from Old French, from (se) rebarber, to confront : re-, re- + barbe, beard (from Latin barba).] From an on-line French dictionary: rébarbatif Adjectif (a) daunting, forbidding Can't say that I find beards daunting; repellent, yes, 99.99% of the time. I can't--ew--see why on EARTH anybody wouldn't prefer to stroke smooth skin than rough old scraggles. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Share Post on Reddit Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary Forum Statistics Forums16 Topics13,916 Posts230,422 Members9,211 Most Online17,319 Apr 8th, 2026 Newest Members Boo boo kitty fu, peterreineck, Peripatetic Toad, JerryC, blvd 9,211 Registered Users Top Posters(30 Days) wofahulicodoc 23 A C Bowden 6 Top Posters wwh 13,858 Faldage 13,803 Jackie 11,613 wofahulicodoc 11,238 tsuwm 10,542 LukeJavan8 9,974 Buffalo Shrdlu 7,210 AnnaStrophic 6,511 Wordwind 6,296 of troy 5,400

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